The initiation of explosive and pyrotechnic devices for military gun launch applications require the use of a device that will prevent unintended functioning of the initiating element until conditions are safe to do so. Existing solutions for this type of application are complex, bulky and expensive for ballistic applications that do not require a traditional safe and arm device when explosive devices are not being initiated. Rocket motors or propelling charges are examples of such applications. In these cases a low cost and inherently robust device is preferred such that the device cannot unintentionally react during handling or the erroneous operation of electronic circuits designed to function the energetic elements.
The old ways of solving the problem are well known and include conventional safe and arm devices. These devices are bulky and expensive. Alternatively, the design may not provide a safety feature at all since the safety requirements for non-explosive elements may be lax, poorly understood or undefined. This increases the potential of inadvertently initiating the device under certain circumstances. Such was the case when a Navy rocket motor was accidentally initiated on the USS Forrestal in 1967 with disastrous results.